What is checked
The inspection examines conditions relevant to the safe use of equipment within a defined scope. This may include guards, access points, controls, connections, fasteners, or signs of deterioration, depending on the equipment’s characteristics. The selection of inspection points should be based on specific risks and requirements, avoiding generic lists that do not represent the installation.
The term “work equipment” includes machines, devices, instruments, and installations used at work. Not all of these require the same checks or the same level of expertise. Inspections must recognize their limitations: a visual inspection does not demonstrate the integrity of items that require testing, measurements, or specialized knowledge.
Inspection, maintenance and regulatory verification
Maintenance aims to preserve or restore operational and safety conditions. Inspection gathers information about their condition. A maintenance intervention may include checks, but it does not automatically replace all required inspections. Similarly, having an inspection schedule does not guarantee that detected defects have been corrected.
Some equipment is subject to specific regulations that determine inspections, authorized personnel, documentation, or frequency. These obligations must be identified separately. A user’s pre-operation check can be valuable, but it should not be presented as equivalent to a regulatory inspection when the latter requires a different scope or specific expertise.
Initial checks and site changes
In Spain, Royal Decree 1215/1997 mandates the initial verification of equipment whose safety depends on installation conditions, both after installation and before its first use. It also requires a further verification after installation in a different location or site, where applicable.
The aim is to verify the installation and safe operation, not just to confirm that the equipment powers on. Interfaces with the environment, stability, power supply, access, and relevant safeguards must be considered. Acceptance criteria are established in advance, and any deviations are resolved before authorizing uses that depend on them. The specific scope requires knowledge of the equipment and its applicable regulations.
Periodic and extraordinary reviews
Equipment exposed to influences that could cause deterioration and hazardous situations requires periodic checks and, where appropriate, testing. The organization must determine the applicable requirements and consider manufacturer’s instructions, conditions of use, and deterioration history. There is no single frequency that applies to all equipment in a company.
Additional checks should also be considered after exceptional circumstances that could affect safety, such as transformations, accidents, natural phenomena, or prolonged periods of disuse. Safety in maintenance operations includes planning these interventions without introducing exposures during the inspection itself.
Competence and preparation for inspection
Checks must be carried out by individuals competent in their scope. This competence may require specific technical knowledge, experience, and qualifications where required by regulations. The organization must distinguish between what the user can check and what should be reserved for specialized personnel.
Preparation involves identifying the equipment, inspection points, safe access conditions, and necessary resources. A dangerous test should not be improvised simply to “see if it works.” The manufacturer’s instructions and applicable procedures should guide the intervention. If the inspection requires isolating energy sources or accessing hazardous areas, it must be planned with the appropriate measures and authorizations.
Practical example
A safety device on mobile work equipment is found to operate irregularly. The alert is logged, but the device continues to appear as available because the application only tracks the date of the next scheduled check. The problem lies in the management of the results, not just in the schedule’s frequency.
The organization identifies the appropriate usage restriction, assigns the repair, and requires functional verification before returning the equipment to service. It also reviews how availability statuses are communicated to shifts. The closure process retains the defect, the action taken, and the verification evidence, preventing the record from being limited to simply “checked.”
Results, defects and return to service
The report should describe the points checked and the deviations found, differentiating between defects that prevent use and those that require scheduled action according to technical criteria. Decisions should not depend on ambiguous labels or be hidden in a document that those who use the equipment do not consult.
A non-conformity can help track non-compliance and its causes, but a clear decision regarding the equipment is also necessary. After a correction, returning to service requires proper verification of the addressed defect. Changing a system’s status to “closed” does not demonstrate that the safety control is functioning again.
Records and traceability
The record must identify the equipment, date, scope, the person performing the check, the results, and any resulting actions. Royal Decree 1215/1997 establishes documentation and retention obligations for the checks it regulates, as well as conditions when equipment is used outside the company premises. Specific applicable requirements should also be reviewed.
Document control allows for information retrieval and the linking of successive revisions without confusing similar equipment. Traceability helps detect recurring defects, adjust maintenance, and justify replacement decisions. Documentation supports technical management; it does not replace verification of actual operating conditions.
